Dark Water
Story for the Secret Game of Brighty~ I tried to make the cover. Allegiances (im too lazy to do the other clans lol) MoonClan- Leader: Blazingstar (Large, dark ginger she-cat with golden eyes) Deputy: Shadedfur (Dark gray tom with amber eyes) Medicine Cat: Breezefur (Silvery-blue tabby she-cat with blue eyes, apprentice: Silentpaw) Warriors- Stormheart (Pale gray tom with yellow eyes) Bluepelt (Dark blue-gray tom with green eyes, apprentice: Maplepaw) Heronwing (Gray tom with yellow eyes) Shadowclaw (Black tom with grey chest and amber eyes, apprentice: Oakpaw) Birchfrost (Pale gray tom with long tail and green eyes, apprentice: Ebonypaw) Swiftfoot (White tom with amber eyes, apprentice: Silverpaw) Sageheart (Light gray spotted tabby tom with blue eyes, apprentice: Petalpaw) Skyfall (Silver-gray she-cat with blue eyes, apprentice: Rainpaw) Snowfur (Pure white she-cat with black ears and tail and green eyes, apprentice: Rowanpaw) Flowerwhisker (Ginger-and-white she-cat with yellow eyes) Cloudchaser (Pale gray-and-white she-cat with green eyes) Apprentices- Maplepaw (Small, lithe ginger-brown-black calico she-cat with amber eyes) Ebonypaw (Jet-black she-cat with thick fur and bright blue eyes) Oakpaw (Dark, dark, brown tom with orange eyes) Rowanpaw (Dark, dark brown tom with orange eyes) Silverpaw (Pale gray tabby tom with yellow eyes) Petalpaw (Pale white-cream she-cat with yellow eyes) Rainpaw (Gray flecked she-cat with green eyes) Silentpaw (Fluffy dark gray tom with silver stripes and amber eyes) Queens- Leafheart (Pale brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes) Elders- Emberheart (Gray-black tom with white paws and blue eyes) Ashblaze (Dark gray tom with yellow eyes) SunClan- Leader: Sunnystar (Light ginger she-cat with yellow eyes) Deputy: Puddlesplash (Light brown tom with amber eyes) Medicine Cat: Brightsong (Ginger she-cat, apprentice: Sandpaw, pale brown tabby tom with orange eyes) DarkClan- Leader: Shadowstar (Smoky black tom with yellow eyes) Deputy: Mudfoot (Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes) Medicine Cat: Silvernight (Gray-black tabby tom with blue eyes) LightClan- Leader: Leopardstar (Mottled golden tom with green eyes) Deputy: Kestrelclaw (Mottled light brown tom with yellow eyes) Medicine Cat: Lightningheart (Light brown tabby tom with white stripe down back and blue eyes) Prologue A small brown tabby purred, and rubbed her head up against the jaw of a broad-shouldered pale gray tom. "Stormheart?" she whispered. Stormheart turned down to face the tabby. "Yes, Leafheart?" "I'm expecting your kits." Stormheart purred, and licked Leafheart's cheek. "That's great! How many-" His yellow eyes went blank and glazed in a heartbeat, and without warning, he collapsed onto his mate. "Stormheart!" Leafheart yelped, and twisted under the tom's body. "Stormheart, what's the matter-" Blood was seeping onto her, and as she stared at her mate in disbelief, she caught sight of a dark figure standing behind her mate. "What?" she gasped, and before she could mew anything, the figure lunged forward, and sank their sharp teeth into her throat. The last thing she ever saw were extreme, ice-blue eyes that roared with the fury of a tiger. Chapter 1 Silentpaw jolted awake, his heart pounding, and to his annoyance, his pelt was sticky with water. Great StarClan! he thought, shaking my pelt out. That's the third time this moon! The medicine cat den was empty. Silentpaw guessed that Breezefur was out gathering herbs, and she had let him sleep in today. Silentpaw stretched, and fluffed out his dark gray fur. He heard Shadedfur sending out patrols, and guessed it was a bit after dawn. A small, neat, blue-gray tabby head poked into the den. "Oh, good, you're awake," Breezefur mewed gratefully. "You seemed so tired last night, you needed your sleep." She jerked her head. "Well, come on then. I can't sort all these herbs myself." Silentpaw nodded, and as he scrambled to his paws, he heard wailing, and as he peered out of his den, he saw his foster sister, Maplepaw, running into camp, her mentor, Bluepelt right behind her. "We found Leafheart and Stormheart!" the calico cried out, panting, her chest heaving. Bluepelt looked equally shocked. "They were by the lake," he explained quietly as Shadedfur jumped down from Tall Branch. "They're dead. Both of them," he added shakily. A blur of dark ginger fur leapt down, and Silentpaw turned to see his leader face Bluepelt. "Can you lead a patrol to go and bring their bodies back?" Blazingstar asked. She seemed quite worried, but Silentpaw liked how she kept her emotions under control. The last thing MoonClan needed was worried cats, running around camp and screaming their heads off. Bluepelt nodded, and with a flick of his tail, Heronwing and Shadowclaw joined him. They raced out of camp entrance, Maplepaw following. Blazingstar sighed, and turned back to the rough group of cats. "Get back to your duties," she ordered, and with murmurs, they went back to their assembled patrols. Silentpaw jumped as a voice mewed in his ear. "That's the third one this moon!" Ebonypaw whispered. Silentpaw nodded agreement. The jet-black she-cat looked confused for a moment, and then remembered the promise. A call rang out from across the clearing. "Ebonypaw! Hurry up, we're wasting daylight here!" Birchfrost's pale gray tail was lashing. "Coming!" Ebonypaw called back, and as she ran to join her mentor, she looked back, and added, "Have a good time~!" Her bright blue eyes danced and she ran to catch up with her hunting patrol, leaving Silentpaw all alone in the Clearing. Category:Fanfics Chapter 2Category:Whitefeather's Fanfics Silentpaw placed the bundles into a dip in the sand of the medicine cat den. Bluepelt's patrol had brought back the two bodies, and he and his mentor were in charge of preparing the bodies for burial. So far, he had brought in fresh lavender and rosemary flowers and mint leaves. The elders would bury the two bodies after vigil, while Silentpaw and Breezefur were apply the herbs to Leafheart and Stormheart. He stifled a yawn, and thought about the past murders. Leafheart and Stormheart's were the first-time murder to have had two cats killed. The others, Rainstorm and Riverbreeze, had been found in different locations, but somehow very close to camp. What did the four cats have in common? They had similar pelt colors, with silver, pale gray, and dark gray, but Leafheart was a brown tabby. Besides, various shades of gray were fairly common in MoonClan and DarkClan. Silentpaw scuffed the sandy ground with his paws in frustration. If he could find out the murderer, then at least he would be accepted into the clan! He wouldn't be cast aside by others, as though he were nothing but dirt! He padded to his nest, a slightly bigger dip in the sand, pressed next to the wall, lined with moss, feathers, and grasses. He curled up in it, and drew his tongue over his fluffy dark gray coat. Silentpaw's head ached from the day's work. Breezefur had made him sort out all the herbs, and gather extra herbs. Silentpaw realized he was hungry, so he dragged himself out of the nest, and headed toward the middle of camp, where the fresh-kill pile was, a moss-covered tree stump. It was leaf-fall, so there wasn't as much prey as usual, but still plenty to go around. He sank his teeth into a fat trout, and turned around to see three apprentices, Rowanpaw, Oakpaw, and Silverpaw. Rowanpaw and Oakpaw were his foster brothers, both a rare shade of dark brown, and the same orange eyes. Silverpaw was a newer apprentice, a more-common pale gray tabby furred tom, with similar yellow eyes. "Hey, Silentrogue, gimme the fish," Rowanpaw growled, unsheathing his claws. "I caught it, while you caught nothing, so give it," Oakpaw added. Silverpaw was quiet, although he avoided eye contact with Silentpaw. Silentpaw ignored his "brothers" and pushed past them, heading toward the medicine cat den, when something nipped his tail hard. He stiffened, and turned just in time to see a paw flying at him. he ducked, and tail between his legs, ran for the medicine cat den, holding onto the trout tightly. Sometimes, Silentpaw wished that the patrol never found him. Chapter 3 There was a blue-gray furred she-cat in front of him. She gave a cackling laugh, and she was torn to shreds. Literally. Her image wavered and was sliced to pieces, like she never existed. The she-cat looked very familiar, though. He was in a dark, murky forest. The trees there were gloomy, and had slimy moss crawling over their bark, their branches swinging ominously, even though there was no wind. The earth beneath his paws felt squishy and disgusting, and he flinched, although he realized something was wrong. He couldn't move. Silentpaw tried to lift his leg, but he couldn't move it. He opened his jaw to scream, but his jaw wouldn't move. Images floated around him, strange pictures of cats in a camp that wasn't MoonClan, the same she-cat standing proudly, although noticeably younger. Images of a battle that tore both sides apart, and of a desperate queen standing at a river. Teeth flashed in front of him, and he screamed inwardly as claws raked across his nose. He couldn't back away, but suddenly, his leg, not backwards, but forwards, and as the paw drew back, he realized it was sticky with an ominous red liquid. A cat collapsed in front of him, and he realized it was Swiftfoot. The white tom dropped to the ground, amber eyes wide in surprise. Silentpaw reeled backwards, his stomach twisting. Oh great StarClan, I just killed a cat! His body moved on its own, and launched itself at other, various cats, some with MoonClan scent, some with no scent at all. Cats turned on each other, and attacked each other with such great fury. What is this madness? His body turned, even though Silentpaw was inwardly frozen with shock, and he saw an unfamiliar, beautiful silvery-white she-cat with long, flowing fur and dazzling green eyes. She opened her mouth to speak. "The silent water with fall from a blow from a long-time friend." ''The she-cat stared at him for a moment, before saying another thing. ''"Behind you." Silentpaw turned, and he screamed. His body was now in his control. A large tabby tom gaped his mouth open, his yellowed teeth growing longer and sharper with every heartbeat, and soon, Silentpaw realized that the tabby tom's mouth was growing larger, as stupid as it sounded. Silentpaw turned tail and ran, but his paws slipped from under him, and he was falling, falling down a large cavern, no longer the tom's mouth, but down a rocky tunnel. The floor was coming into sight, and as he writhed, he tensed his self as he was coming closer, and closer to the bottom, until- THUD. Silentpaw jerked awake and rolled onto his paws, breathing heavily. He took a quick glance at his surroundings, and sighed with relief. He was back in the medicine cat den, all safe and sound. Just a nightmare, ''he told himself. ''Just a nightmare. I hope. Chapter 4 It was the sunrise of a new day. After Silentpaw had awoken from his nightmare, he had fallen back asleep, although still waking up at the strangest sounds. A a result, his pelt was now bushy and un-kept, and he moved drowsily throughout camp. "Honestly Silentpaw!" Breezefur had exclaimed. "You look like you've been dragged through SunClan territory and back!" It was pretty close to the truth. As the sun started to set, Breezefur surprised Silentpaw. "Today's the Gathering, so you're going to come," she meowed, and Silentpaw stared at his mentor with surprise. Joy! "So get plenty of rest, and eat up," she added, and Silentpaw quickly obeyed, sharing a plump salmon with Ebonypaw. Maplepaw, Rowanpaw, and Oakpaw were off somewhere talking among themselves, possibly with Rainpaw or Petalpaw. "Birchfrost said that my final assessment might be tomorrow!" Ebonypaw squealed, unable to keep the excitement out of her eyes. "He says if I pass it, I can become a warrior!" Silentpaw smiled, and twitched his ears. Ebonypaw noticed this, and dropped her mew down into a quiet mew. "I know you've made that promise, but why can't you talk to me?" she asked. "It can be our little secret." Silentpaw shook his head, fearful of what had happened moons earlier because of him talking. Ebonypaw sighed, and gulped down the rest of the salmon. "Fine. I guess I can't get you to change your mind. Anyways, have fun at the Gathering and tell me what it's like, okay?" she asked, and Silentpaw nodded. Blazingstar called for him, Breezefur, Sageheart, Petalpaw, Heronwing, Shadowclaw, Oakpaw, Emberheart, Ashblaze, Shadedfur, and Skyfall and Rainpaw to join her, and off they went, almost gliding through MoonClan's mossy and shady territory, down to the island where Gatherings would be held. As the dark furred apprentice, bounded alongside his mentor, he thought about his dream. That was a really creepy forest. Maybe Breezefur knows about it. ''He shook his head. ''Never mind. She'll think I'm completely nuts. The patrol easily loped toward the island through the trail, and to the island they went. The island was a pretty small stretch of land, about half the size of MoonClan's territory. It was decorated with ferns and lush grass, and in the center was a meadow, with smaller trees that some cats perched on. In the middle of the middle, there was a large oak tree with gnarled roots that the deputies sat in, and slightly higher branches that the leaders sat in. Off to the side was a flattened boulder that the medicine cats and their apprentices sat. Silentpaw had been to a Gathering several times now, seven times to be exact, and he knew his procedure. He gently nosed by the DarkClan and LightClan cats, and leapt easily onto the boulder, Breezefur behind him. Lightningheart of LightClan was there, along with Silvernight of DarkClan and Brightsong of SunClan with her apprentice, Sandpaw. Silentpaw twitched his ears in greeting, and sat closer to Breezefur. He didn't care about clan loyalties, but he didn't like it when cats went up to talk to him, or pester him. It got on his nerves, and it was especially hard to keep quiet. His promise was to be kept. Sunnystar threw back her head and let out a yowl, and soon the cats below stopped their murmuring. The light ginger she-cat nodded at Shadowstar, the oldest leader of then all, and the smoky black tom stepped forward. "DarkClan is doing well," he rumbled, and he flicked his tail. "We have two new warriors, Hawkeyes and Eaglefeather." The cats below cheered, Silentpaw flicking his tail as he spotted the two identical brown tabby toms, Hawkeyes with narrowed green eyes and Eaglefeather with amber eyes. They had their heads up high, and looked fairly confident. The cheering died, and Shadowstar nodded to Leopardstar. The golden tom straightened his posture. "LightClan has three new warriors," he announced. "Flamepelt, Firestorm, and Emberfur!" Once again, the cats below chanted the three new warriors, and Silentpaw noted their similar ginger pelts. I wonder what it's like to have a sibling. Leopardstar continued. "There was a fox in our territory, but we chased it out a few sunrises ago." Sunnystar spoke. "SunClan does not have any new warriors, but we have a new apprentice, Rosepaw!" The tiny cream tabby she-cat sat with her head down, her green eyes shy as cats cheered her name. Then it was Blazingstar's turn to speak. "MoonClan does not have any new warriors or apprentices, but Leafheart and Stormheart were murdered three sunrises ago," she meowed, and whispers immediately sprung out. "We did not catch any scent, but there was a very faint SunClan scent." Silentpaw's amber eyes widened. There was SunClan scent? He didn't smell any scent when he prepared the- Oh wait. He didn't prepare the bodies. Breezefur, Ashblaze, and Emberheart did. Uproar broke out from the SunClan cats, and Sunnystar glared down on Blazingstar. "Are you saying that one of my warriors killed two of yours?!" she hissed, ginger tail lashing. "Have your noses checked!" Blazingstar remained calm, although Silentpaw noted a frustrated tone in her mew. "No, I'm just stating what our elders and medicine cat has found," she meowed. Brightsong leaned over to whisper into Breezefur's ear. "Sunnystar's been really agitated," she mewed. "She's been trying to find excuses to start war with MoonClan, and I can't find out why." Silentpaw kept a straight face, although what Brightsong said unnerved him. Sunnystar was fiercely loyal of her clan, but she never provoked a fight without a good reason. Why? Sunnystar glared at Blazingstar, then glared down at her warriors, which were still whispering and shooting glances at MoonClan warriors. "Quiet!" she snarled. The SunClan warriors fell silent. Blazingstar sighed. "That is all. This Gathering is dismissed." She leapt down from her branch, and signaled with her tail to gather up the MoonClan warriors. Silentpaw followed her without a second thought. This has been a very interesting Gathering. An image shot through his mind, piercing it with so much pain. An image of the same blue-furred, screaming. You were mine! And then it was gone. Chapter 5 Silentpaw let his jaw gape open in an enormous yawn, and once again to his irritation, Breezefur had let him sleep in again. It had been two sunrises after the Gathering, and Silentpaw was still puzzled why Sunnystar had been so hostile. As far as he knew, there had been no good reason for that to happen. Excited squeals burs from camp entrance, and as Silentpaw curiously padded out of the den, Ebonypaw almost ran him over. "I PASSED MY ASSESSMENT!" she yowled, bouncing around. Silentpaw silently groaned and got to his paws and the jet-black she-cat danced around him. "I PASSED MY ASSESSMENT, I GET TO BE A WARRIOR! YAY!" Rowanpaw, Oakpaw, Maplepaw, Petalpaw, Silverpaw, and Rainpaw both stalked from the camp entrance. While Petalpaw and Rainpaw seemed to share Ebonypaw's excitement, Silverpaw and a soaking Maplepaw were both fairly quiet, although their eyes danced with anticipation. Rowanpaw and Oakpaw seemed straight-up annoyed. "Silentrogue," Rowanpaw snapped, and as Silentpaw jerked his head up, he met the glowering orange eyes of his "brother." "Go get me a mouse." Silentpaw bit his tongue, and wondered what to do. So he did what he did best. He sat down, and twitched his ears. Rowanpaw and Oakpaw were staring at him in disbelief, and Silentpaw turned to listen to Ebonypaw, whom was chattering about what she did for the assessment. "So Birchfrost took me and Maplepaw out on a hunting patrol, and told us to catch at least two pieces of prey! So I went to the river, and I found this trout that was HUMONGO, and Maplepaw accidentally slipped in the river, and I pulled her out, and she had the trout in her mouth and a fish hooked onto her claw, and I started laughing because she looked so funny, SORRY MAPLEPAW!" she yelled across camp. Maplepaw flicked her tail in reply. "Anyways, so I helped her out, and I went and caught a squirrel and a mouse myself, and then Birchfrost and Bluepelt came outta nowhere, and said that we did great, and that we would be becoming warriors if we were good at stealth-walking, and so I got Maplepaw, and she showed the two fish to our mentors, and they were both really impressed, and I'M SO HAPPY!" she yowled, leaping almost a tail-length in the air. Cats from around turned to look at her, and Silentpaw rolled his eyes. Inwardly, he was proud of his "sister," but sometimes she got overexcited, and just looked really weird. "What do you think my name's gonna be?" Ebonypaw asked in a quieter tone, and Silentpaw thanked StarClan, as his ears were beginning to bleed. Silentpaw shrugged. "I like Ebonyclaw. Or Ebonyheart! So many choices!" Ebonypaw rocked back and forth on her feet. "Let's play a game! I'll up of your medicine cat name, and you tell me if you like it!" (note* Petalpaw and Rainpaw are younger apprentices, and will not be getting their names) Silentpaw nodded. "Great! Silentheart!" He shook his head. Made him sound cold and cruel. "Silentclaw!" Silentpaw gaze her "the look." "Uh, okay then. Silenttail!" Silentpaw lashed his tail, earning a snapping sound. "No, your tail's definitely not silent. Ooh, how about Silentfur?" Too original. ''He shook his head. "I guess not Silentpelt either, then. They're both the same thing. How about.... Silentmoon?" Silentpaw shook his head frantically. Made him sound she-catty. "How about Silent-" "ALL CATS OLD ENOUGH TO GLIDE THROUGH THE FOREST GATHER BELOW TALL BRANCH!" Ebonypaw gave herself a little shake, and leapt to her paws. "That'll be my ceremony! I'll see ya later~!" Silentpaw smiled after his "sister," and curled his tail around his paws. He loved Ebonypaw, like a true sister and friend. She didn't judge him, like others. Blazingstar perched on top of Tall Branch as the cats assembled, and Silentpaw caught sight of Rowanpaw, Oakpaw, Silverpaw, Maplepaw, and Ebonypaw balanced upon a lower branch. "These apprentices have been training hard, and their mentors have deemed them worthy of becoming warriors." She turned her body to face the five almost-warriors. "Rowanpaw, Oakpaw, Silverpaw, Maplepaw, and Ebonypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and defend the clan at all costs, even at the cost of you life?" "I do," five voices echoed. "Then, by the powers of StarClan, I grant you your warrior names. You are now Rowanclaw, Oakheart, Silverstorm, Mapleleaf, and Ebonyfire. StarClan thanks you for your kindness and bravery, and we welcome you as a member of MoonClan." "Rowanclaw! Oakheart! Silverstorm! Mapleleaf! Ebonyfire! Rowanclaw! Oakheart! Silverstorm! Mapleleaf! Ebonyfire!" As the cats cheered their names, Silentpaw caught sight of his sister, and winked at Ebonyfire as she looked at him with excitement. The crowd began to disperse, but Swiftfoot pushed forward. Silentpaw shivered as he remembered the dream where he had killed Swiftfoot. But what for? "Blazingstar?" Swiftfoot asked, stopped at the base of the tree of Tall Branch. "I have an announcement." With an encouraging nod from Blazingstar, the white tom turned to face the scattered cats, and announced, "Cloudchaser is expecting my kits," he announced. The pale gray-white queen stood shyly at the nursery entrance, and as the cats chanted "Cloudchaser! Clouchaser!" she smiled awkwardly and disappeared into the nursery. Out of nowhere, Breezefur appeared by Silentpaw's side and murmured, "I'm going to go check on Cloudchaser. Can you gather moss and organize the herbs for me?" Silentpaw nodded, and as Breezefur left for the nursery, Silentpaw turned and padded toward the medicine cat den, but for one, quick, fleeting moment, his body was no longer his. Chapter 6 Silentpaw jerked awake to sounds of distressed screaming. He dragged himself to his paws, and wondered why to his annoyance he smelled like herbs. Maybe he rolled into an herb hole? He padded to opening of the den to see Cloudchaser huddled over a white body, Heronwing, Silverstorm, and Skyfall next to her, heads down. ''What happened? It had been five sunrises (becuz im too lazy to write out what happened) since the warrior ceremony, and Silentpaw had been busy sorting and gathering herbs, especially with leaf-bare coming. Sageheart and Flowerwhisker had a cough, and were currently around the medicine cat den resting. Silentpaw trotted out, and managed to catch sight of the body's glazed amber eyes. Swiftfoot! Cloudchaser let tears fall onto her dead mate's body. "All he ever did was go out on a lone hunt," she whispered, burying her gray muzzle into his fur. "What did he ever do wrong?" Silentpaw stared at the white body, horror creeping up his spine as he remembered his dream. I saw it happen! Silentpaw shuddered, then turned to go and fetch the rosemary. Five cats dead, and it's been a bit over a moon. What cat whats these five dead? The dark gray tom snorted to himself. An evil cat. Duh. He bumped into Breezefur, and he flattened his ears as an apology. However, as he glanced up, he saw Breezefur's eyes fill with sorrow. Why? Breezefur and Swiftfoot aren't related in any way. The silvery-blue tabby shook her head, and meowed in a hollow voice, "Silentpaw, I think it's time for you to earn your medicine cat name. You've been working very hard." Silentpaw stared at his mentor in amazement as she continued. "Tonight, since it's the half-moon, I'll take you there, okay? Snowfur knows enough about herbs, so I'll leave her in charge of Sageheart and Flowerwhisker." Without any other words, she disappeared back into the den, leaving Silentpaw alone. The tom stared after Breezefur as his mind raced to collect his thoughts. I'm getting my medicine cat name! '' Ebonyfire bounced up behind him. "Hiya Silentpaw!" she mewed cheerfully, although her blue eyes were serious. "What do you think happened to Swiftfoot?" Silentpaw shrugged helplessly, and he decided to hunt. Just for a while. To take his mind off other things. He padded calmly out of camp, but just as he was within two fox-lengths from the camp entrance, he broke into a run, something overcoming his body. He just wanted to get away from them, the warriors, Swiftfoot's dead body, Cloudchaser, the annoying elders, the loud-mouth deputy, the stupid leader, the medicine cat who was a result of betrayal- Silentpaw froze in front of a crystal-clear stream, absolutely confused. Where had these thoughts come from? What did Breezefur have anything to do with betrayal? He shook his head, and doing so, caught the scent of Swiftfoot. ''He died near here. Trembling, Silentpaw followed the scent trail, one thing repeating over and over in his head. I'm going to a murder scene. I'm going to a murder scene. The dark gray tom stopped in front of a clump of flattened grass, some dirt and grass torn up, with drops of blood flung around everywhere. There was a struggle....... Silentpaw opened his jaw and tasted the air, hoping for a whiff of the murderer, but the scent hit his tongue, it made no sense. He staggered backwards. That was impossible! Chapter 7 He turned and ran. He leapt over fallen logs and skidded under mossy arches, running blindly, until finally, his muzzle smacked into a tree. Silentpaw stumbled back, and sat down on his rear. He forced back a choking sound coming from him, and stared in front of him blankly. That made no sense! That scent couldn't be there...... he would've known! The dark gray tom got to his feet, confused about what was happening, and then had an amazing idea. Maybe I can get answers at the Spiritpool. The medicine cat apprentice ran down the confusing, twisting path to the Spiritpool, knowing in his head where the Spiritpool was and the path there. Silentpaw needed answers desperately. He knew the answers to the murders, but something didn't make sense. Why me?! His paws hit the pebble path of the Spiritpool trail, and he looked up to see the Misty Cavern, mist curling at the entrance. Without hesitation, Silentpaw dragged himself to the entrance and peered down at the crystal-clear pool. Closing his eyes, and he licked some of the starlight water and curled up, falling into a restless dream. He awoke to find himself standing in front of a familiar figure. Broad-shouldered pale gray tom. Stormheart! The tom whipped his massive head around at Silentpaw and bared his teeth, fury in his yellow eyes. He then promptly leapt away. Silentpaw stared dejectedly after him. I don't blame him. "You want answers," a meow stated behind him. He whirled around to see a silvery-white she-cat with long flowing fur. "You know who committed the murders," the she-cat noted. "But you don't understand why they were picked. To understand, you must know your past. Silentpaw," she meowed harshly. "Break the promise." Silentpaw stared at her in surprise, and fiercely shook his head. He was going to keep his promise, no matter what. The silvery cat hissed. "You are going to be extremely selfish, aren‘t you?" she snarled. "Cats are dying, and all you want to do is keep a silly promise!" Fury blazed through Silentpaw. "It's not silly!" he roared, and clamped his mouth shut. He broke it. The cat looked satisfied. "Good. Now I will explain." Chapter 8 "They were chosen because they were all related," the she-cat mewed. "Stupid, can't you see? It's all in their pelt, their build, their eyes, everything." Silentpaw bristled, and he spoke, still unsure of how to sound. "You mean, blood related?" The cat rolled her green eyes. "No, I mean brain-related," she spat sarcastically. "Are all cats this stupid?" tbc just wait